Industry: Cthulhu

Chapter 25 Mary
An old friend's daughter?

Brown's words made Fang Yan think a lot, but when he saw Brown's malicious smile, he immediately realized that it was just a joke.

"I just mentioned it casually, but you actually took it seriously and thought I was going to set you up on a blind date!"

Brown held his stomach and laughed so hard that tears almost came out. Fang Yan, who was standing next to him, looked embarrassed.

Brown put his arm around Fang Yan's shoulders affectionately and said with a smile, "Don't worry, given our relationship, even if I introduce you to a girlfriend, I will definitely find you someone gentle and lovely. As for that girl Mary, let alone you, there are not many men in the entire galaxy who can conquer her."

"In the Merchant Alliance's power structure, besides the president, there's also the council and the security committee. Mary's father, my old friend, is a member of the council, and Mary was nominated at such a young age. Perhaps she'll be able to join the security committee in a few years. She has enormous potential."

"When Mary comes to Earth, I'll arrange a meeting between you two. If she's willing to help you, the cooperation between Blue Light Technology and the Merchant Alliance will be a major step forward."

……

North of the capital, the Galactic Alliance shipping transit station.

When the daylight broke, Fang Yan saw an empty and desolate square.

"Currently, the routes between Earth and the Pan-Galactic Galaxy are too sparse."

Brown looked around and said, "But I believe that as time goes by, the earth will become prosperous one day."

It was already winter and the weather was very cold, but Fang Yan continued to smoke his triple mint e-cigarette, seeming to enjoy the coolness that penetrated into his bones.

Suddenly, a slight vibration came from under my feet.

Fang Yan looked up and saw a square cargo ship approaching rapidly in the distant sky. Its silver-gray metal shell was already mottled and looked weathered.

With the low roar of the engine, the ship is parked steadily at the designated berth
When the hatch slowly opened, two figures, one tall and one short, walked out together.

"Mary!"

Brown walked over, waving to the tall, strong girl and calling her name.

Fang Yan observed that Mary was wearing a military green flight jacket with several obvious repair marks on her pants. She was tall and strong with obvious muscle lines. She had a refreshing short hair, which was messed up by a strong wind, but she didn't care at all and continued to stride forward, looking like a tomboy.

The other girl next to her was in stark contrast to Mary.

She looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, with long hair, a sweet smile, and fair and delicate skin. She didn't look like someone who had lived in a harsh environment for a long time. Her eyes were especially clear and bright, revealing an innocence.

"Uncle Brown."

Mary pointed at the girl next to her and introduced her casually, "She's Gu Yufei, my friend. I brought her out to see the world."

Gu Yufei bowed slightly and said in a sweet voice, "Hello, respected engineer."

Brown smiled and introduced Fang Yan to the two of them, saying that although Fang Yan was not yet a registered engineer, his ability was far stronger than many senior engineers, and he was even nominated for this year's Star Ring Award.

Mary didn't seem to be interested in things like the Star Ring Award, but Gu Yufei's eyes lit up, and there was quite a bit of admiration in her eyes when she looked at Fang Yan.

"Did I bring what I wanted?" Brown asked anxiously.

"I have it with me. I'll have someone send it to me right away." Mary waved behind her and shouted in a deep voice.

Then a middle-aged crew member with a big beard came in with a huge box and put it in the trunk of the hovercraft driven by Fang Yan and Brown.

"It's wrapped so tightly, what is it?" Fang Yan asked curiously.

Brown smiled mysteriously and complacently, "Good stuff, you'll know when we get back."

...There was no conversation along the way, and in a blink of an eye, they returned to the white dome.

Through the conversation, we learned that Mary and Gu Yufei had just finished a long journey and returned to the edge area from the inner ring of the Milky Way. They planned to rest on Earth for a few days before returning to the headquarters of the Merchant Alliance in the Dovin galaxy.

"Is the inner ring fun?" Fang Yan asked with interest.

According to his schedule, he will go to the inner ring in a while to attend the Star Ring Awards Ceremony, so he is very curious about the most developed area in the Milky Way.

Mary leaned back and placed her strong, bronzed legs on the coffee table. "To be honest, I really don't like the inner ring at all."

Fang Yan looked at her in surprise. "The Inner Ring is the most prosperous place in the Milky Way, rich in resources and technologically advanced. I've always wanted to go and see it, but I haven't had the chance yet."

Mary curled her lips. "It's prosperous, but everyone is so nervous. All they think about is work and making money. They're like a group of wound-up robots, as if they're being chased by something, feeling so depressed that they can't breathe."

Gu Yufei smiled softly, "Perhaps it's because the competition is fierce. After all, it's the center of the entire galaxy, with countless resources and opportunities. Everyone wants to grab their share."

Mary snorted disdainfully, "Competition? That's called fighting tooth and nail!"

"I still prefer the fringe areas. Although it's barren and lacks resources, and I even have to deal with harassment from pirates from time to time, at least life here is free."

"There aren't so many rules, and there aren't so many people watching you. You can do whatever you want and go wherever you want."

"And in the Inner Ring, everyone's life is trapped. There's no other choice but to succeed. But then again, what exactly is success? Is it worth sacrificing your life and freedom in exchange for something called success?"

Fang Yan didn't expect that although Mary looked carefree, what she said was quite philosophical.

Gu Yufei also nodded slightly, as if touched by Mary's words.

It was not until this time that Fang Yan suddenly realized that Brown had disappeared. He ran to the next room mysteriously, holding the big box.

"what the hell?"

Fang Yan stood up from the sofa, walked to the door of the next room, and peeked over.

Wow, Brown looked like a lunatic as he opened the tightly wrapped box and carefully took out a dragon from it.

That’s right, it is a dragon, a silver dragon wearing mechanical armor, which looks very much like the action figures that anime fans on Earth are keen on, except that the manufacturing process is more sophisticated, and the eyes and movements are all lifelike.

Fang Yan was about to ask when Mary folded her arms, frowned, and said, "Uncle Brown, you're a respected mid-level engineer after all. Why do you still like these children's toys at your age?"

"You asked me to bring you something from the Inner Ring Road all the way here, and this is what I ended up with?"

Brown excitedly held the silver dragon and looked at it again and again, muttering, "What do you know? This is the Silver Dragon God of War, Gilias! One of the greatest heroes in the galaxy. I grew up reading his stories."

"Yes, Fang Yan has something serious to discuss with you. You guys should go and talk business. Don't bother me."

Uh…

Looking at Brown, who was still holding an action figure and dancing with excitement at his age, Fang Yan had to reluctantly defend him. "There is an old saying on our planet that men remain young until they die. In fact, many people have the habit of collecting anime peripherals. It has nothing to do with age. It is purely a hobby."

Mary sighed. "Men are really strange creatures. It's like they never grow up. Do you have similar hobbies?"

Fang Yan rubbed the back of his head. Ever since he became wealthy, he'd been collecting anime and manga merchandise. He didn't own a Silver Dragon Warrior figurine, but he did have a separate room filled with Naruto, One Piece, and Neon Genesis Evangelion figurines...

Fang Yan knew very well that men and women were fundamentally different and could never truly understand each other. It was meaningless to continue to dwell on this topic.

So he changed the subject and said, "I just happen to have something that I'd like to ask the Merchant Alliance for help with. I wonder if it's possible."

(End of this chapter)